play0:58Wemby’s 21-point double-double leads Spurs past ClippersWemby’s 21-point double-double leads Spurs past Clippers.
Goodwill on Wemby: ‘He hates everybody!’ (1:44)Shams Charania and Vincent Goodwill discuss how Victor Wembanyama’s presence makes the Spurs a dangerous playoff team. (1:44)
Wemby’s 21-point double-double leads Spurs past ClippersWemby’s 21-point double-double leads Spurs past Clippers.
NBA InsidersMultiple AuthorsMar 18, 2026, 07:00 AM ET
The NBA is less than a month away from turning the page on the 2025-26 regular season to the playoffs. Competition across the league is intensifying as Eastern and Western conference teams are working to secure their spots in the postseason — or turning their attention to the offseason.
Some teams are fine-tuning and evaluating their play as the postseason landscape remains in flux. Others are grappling with how different their squads could look next season. Regardless of the standings, the last month of the regular season is hectic for all 30 teams, especially those positioning for seeding in the playoffs — or play-in tournament.
Our ESPN insiders answer the biggest questions facing the East and West title contenders and discuss what each is focusing on in their remaining regular-season games.
Jump to a topic: East: BOS | CLE | DET | NYK | MIL West: GSW | HOU | LAL | MIN | OKC | SAS Leaguewide questions
What’s been the source of the Detroit Pistons’ late-season struggles and how can they adjust in the postseason?
Their shot creation will come up in the postseason, and there’s only so much they can do around Cade Cunningham in the meantime. But they can control defensive intensity, and rediscovering that will go a long way toward success this season. — Vincent Goodwill
In a similar fashion to how they have the first week: gradually ramping up his minutes to prepare him for what Boston hopes is a deep playoff run. In his first three games, Tatum played 27 minutes before increasing to 32 minutes in his fourth and fifth games. The Celtics have another month to build him up to a playoff workload and expect them to take full advantage of that. — Tim Bontemps
The numbers say New York is a game better than last year’s pace, but it doesn’t feel like it. The Knicks have improved with a top-five offense and a top-10 defense, both better than last season. That’s largely attributed to the narrative around Thibs teams being historically great defensively, the Knicks’ up-and-down nature this season and the enormous, often suffocating expectations. The starters’ minutes are down as Mike Brown has a deeper rotation.
The vibes don’t feel great right now — but the vibes weren’t great last year, either. The true test will come in May and possibly June. The passage of time seems to color last year in ways that aren’t necessarily true. There’s an opportunity in front of the Knicks, and it’s time they recognize that. — Goodwill
How has James Harden given the Cleveland Cavaliers the confidence that he can help push the team past the Pistons, Celtics and Knicks?
Most importantly for the Cavs, Harden has been available, a key reason why they wanted an upgrade for Darius Garland and why coach Kenny Atkinson told ESPN Harden’s arrival has given his team a “renewed confidence.” — Jamal Collier
Not much. Time has been the Bucks’ fallback plan throughout their yearlong stare-down with Antetokounmpo. The team has insisted throughout its disappointing campaign that there was still enough time either for an in-season turnaround, to rebuild as a contender or to convince Antetokounmpo to sign another extension to remain in Milwaukee.
Yet, the reality of the standings (trailing the No. 10 seed by 5½ games) and the chasm between Milwaukee and true contenders is evident. No matter how the final month of the season ends, the Bucks will have to face that reality this summer. — Collier
Jalen Williams’ hamstring is the Thunder’s one significant injury concern at this point. Oklahoma City will have to proceed with caution after he aggravated the strain in his second game after returning just before the All-Star break. The hope is that Williams, who missed the first 19 games while recovering from offseason wrist surgery and has been sidelined almost all of the past two months, will be able to play his way into a rhythm by the time the playoffs begin.
The Thunder can afford to be patient as they are 36-8 without Williams in the lineup this season and have an three-game cushion over the Spurs at the top of the West standings. But Oklahoma City knows how critical Williams is to its hopes of defending a title. His 40-point outing in Game 5 of last season’s NBA Finals might have been the most important individual performance in franchise history. — Tim MacMahon
Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs haven’t yet made the playoffs. How high is their confidence level heading into the regular season’s final stretch?
Wemby’s 21-point double-double leads Spurs past Clippers
Wemby’s 21-point double-double leads Spurs past Clippers.
After back-to-back trips to the West finals, what can the Minnesota Timberwolves do in the next month to show that the team is ready for another deep playoff run?
It would be ideal if the Timberwolves could establish some consistency. Minnesota’s roller-coaster act can be maddening, but the past couple of seasons featured plenty of ups and downs and ended with conference finals runs. The Wolves have slipped significantly on the defensive end this season, ranking ninth in efficiency, down from sixth last season and first in 2023-24.
They’ve been especially bad since the All-Star break, allowing 116.4 points per 100 possessions, which ranks 21st during that span. That is a trend that must end for Minnesota to make another run. Wolves phenom Anthony Edwards is also dealing with right knee soreness, and he will be reevaluated in one to two weeks. — MacMahon
Absolutely. But it’s unlikely they’ll play long if they can’t shore up some of the other issues — such as turnovers and closing games — that have affected this team all season. Without a true point guard, Houston believes it can scheme around deficiencies at the position, according to an assistant, who said the Rockets could draw up plays that make Amen Thompson more effective offensively, while manipulating schemes to protect defensive liability Reed Sheppard on the other end.
Houston also needs center Alperen Sengun to shake off his recent defensive struggles, while sharpening his acumen as a hub on offense. — Wright
How are the Los Angeles Lakers mitigating the fact that, by the numbers, they’re a less effective team with their three stars (Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Austin Reaves) on the floor together?
“I’m confident we’re going to find it,” Redick said last week. “How we’re going to find it, that’s where it’s … you got to figure it out on a daily basis sometimes.”
“I know he wants to win, and he wants to do everything possible to help this team win,” Redick said of James. — Dave McMenamin
Into any level of fringe contention? Nope. Jimmy Butler III’s ACL tear unofficially ended those dreams. But there’s still a competitive team within the leftover roster, as long as Kristaps Porzingis is available and Curry is back and revved up for the play-in bracket. It’s becoming increasingly clear the Warriors will have to play out of the nine against 10 slot.
That means they will need to beat the Portland Trail Blazers in an elimination game and then beat the loser of a matchup that would currently be between the Phoenix Suns and LA Clippers. If they pull that off — needing Curry — they will be rewarded with the West’s top seed, likely the Oklahoma City Thunder, in the first round. The path back to relevancy this season is daunting. — Anthony Slater
The Denver Nuggets should remain a top-six team in the West, thanks to a fairly easy schedule down the stretch. (Two of the Nuggets’ hardest remaining games are against the Thunder and Spurs to close the regular season, but those teams could be locked into their seeds and resting for the playoffs at that point.)
But if the Nuggets lose to the Suns on March 24, things could get interesting. Denver would surely prefer to avoid the play-in tournament and a potential first-round matchup with either San Antonio or Oklahoma City. — Kram
With a few weeks to go in the regular season, it’s a three-player race for the league’s highest individual honor. Last year’s winner, Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, is the favorite to win it again, with three-time winner Nikola Jokic and young phenom Victor Wembanyama hot on his heels. This could come down to how the West plays out.
If OKC stays on top, SGA should win again. But if the Thunder get passed by the Spurs? Well, Wemby’s dreams of an MVP and DPOY in the same season — something only Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon and Giannis Antetokounmpo have ever done — will be well within reach. — Bontemps
Obviously, whichever team is your favorite. But objectively, the Pacers are the team on the narrowest margins. Indiana currently sits dead last in the standings and has only top-four protection on its pick after dealing for Ivica Zubac. Indiana must stay in the bottom three and preserve the full 52.1% chance of keeping its pick — essentially the better side of what’s still a coin flip.
If the Pacers are lucky and keep it, they’ll be able to add a healthy Tyrese Haliburton and a second young star into the fold with Zubac on what should be a playoff-level team next season. If they don’t, the Clippers instead walk away with a legit building block in the five to nine range, putting the fate of two teams squarely in the balance. — Jeremy Woo
The top five teams by defensive rating include the top two seeds in each conference (Oklahoma City, Detroit, San Antonio and Boston), as well as the Heat, who are much farther back in the standings. But the Heat have made Finals runs from a low seed before. Their recent surge makes them a compelling candidate, especially if Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware give them a big man duo to match all the double-big lineups in the East.